Life Goes On, Life Brings Problems
by SonicFanaticInc
Summary: Its been a good long while since Shadow had opened up to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, moved into thier home, and endured unbelieveable tramua. Now this make-shift family is once again put through thier paces as together they deal with all new problems revolving around Tails' machine and its potential applications.
1. Where We Are Now

**Chapter 1**

It had been a long time since the 'incident', as the four of them now called it, maybe even a couple of years. Of course no one kept track. All of them were trying to forget it. The media still knocked on their door once in a while but that was dying down. It seemed that everyone in the world wanted to know how one small young fox managed to outsmart a cunning vicious serial killer. If it wasn't reporters trying to get a scoop, it was companies looking to turn the story into a book or movie. It was the latter that angered the four the most. But now, things were finally slowing down. Things were finally back to-

Sonic bolted upright in bed. He gazed around his room, confused. Something had awoken him but he couldn't recall what. Sleep was already calling him back as he glanced at the clock. 3:30 AM. He was about to lay down again when a shriek pierced the air. At once Sonic tossed his covers aside and went out into the hall. Another shriek of pain and fear came from the room next door. Knuckles and Shadow had also been awakened and they too had come into the hallway and followed Sonic as he opened the door and entered Tails' room. The pillows and blankets were kicked aside and onto the floor. The little fox was curled up in a tiny ball with his tails shielding his face. He was whimpering and as Sonic went to the bed, he cried out once more.

"Tails wake up! You're having a nightmare, wake up!" whispered Sonic as he shook him. Tails awoke with a sobbing gasp and immediately latched onto Sonic in a hug. He began to cry and Sonic held him close, "Shhh. You're ok. It's over. It's over." After a few minutes, Tails was able to calm down. His eyes were still wide with terror and panic. Sonic hugged him again and said, "See? You're ok. Everything's alright. Go splash some water on your face and try to get back to sleep ok?" Tails nodded and went towards the door past Knuckles and Shadow who each hugged him and comforted him.

Sonic watched him go and felt a knife stab him in the heart, bringing tears to his eyes. Yes, he, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow all wanted to believe that things were finally back to normal. But it was plain to see that even though the terror had ended long ago and the deep wounds had mostly healed, there were still long, thin, jagged scars that remained.

* * *

Though none of them cared to admit it, things had changed in the house. Tails now always wore his lab jacket to cover the scar on his back. If he wasn't wearing that, he had on a vest or an unbuttoned shirt. Roughhousing, which before was almost a regular thing, now rarely took place. The activity upset Tails deeply as it brought bad memories rushing up. None of them left the house without making sure their communicator had a good charge and somebody knew where they were going. After dark, they tried not to leave the house and if they did, it was in pairs. But despite all the things that had changed, there were just as many things that stayed the same. The four relied on and trusted each other to no end. Each would give his life for the other without pause. Despite all they had been through, they were still a family.

Tails had come back to the room and climbed into bed. Sonic tucked him and stood staring as the little kitsune quickly began to doze off. Not wanting to leave Tails, Sonic climbed in bed next to him. Acting on the same need to protect the smallest, youngest, and most vulnerable of them, Shadow and Knuckles got into the bed as well. The hedgehogs and echidna formed a wall, with the fox in the middle. _Yes. _thought Sonic as he drifted off, _In spite of everything, we're still a family…_

* * *

In the morning all four of them exited Tails' room casually and got ready to start the day. It was Shadow's week to cook, a task that now seemed as easy as putting on his power skates. After freshening up, Shadow began to make some omelets laced with cheese and bell pepper. After pulling themselves together, Sonic, Knuckles, came into the kitchen. "Oooohh man am I tired." complained Knuckles as he started a pot of coffee.

"Amen to that!" agreed Sonic as he put his head down on the table.

"Stop your whining you big babies. I'm ready to nod off but here I am making breakfast." groaned Shadow as he rubbed his eyes with one hand and flipped the omelet in the pan with the other.

"And for that we thank you." said Knuckles with a mock salute, earning a laugh from Sonic and another groan from Shadow.

Tails came in yawning, "Good morning everyone. That omelet smells great Shadow!"

"Thanks. Is that a new shirt?" asked Shadow as he pointed.

Tails fiddled with the collar of a light blue button-up shirt, "Yeah, I got it the other day while I was out shopping for parts. It fits pretty nice and I like the short sleeves. I-" The phone began to ring making everyone jump. Tails, who was closest, answered, "Hello?... May I ask who is calling?... Oh yeah I remember you! Yeah this is him. What's up?" There was a long pause as Tails listened to what the other person was saying. Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow had stopped talking and were looking at Tails.

"Who is it?" whispered Sonic. Tails put a finger to his lips and turned away, his features serious.

"I know I haven't contacted him in a very long time. I don't want to talk to him. The fact that his office calls me at least twice a day doesn't help. The only reason you got me this time is because you used a different number. This is bordering on harassment and frankly I'm sick of it. I already told him that I won't be working with him anymore several months ago and if I have to come down to the University and tell him again I will!... Yeah, I'll hold."

"Who is it?" Sonic asked again but he received the same stern motion to be quiet.

"Yes, I'm still here. He wants me to come to the University? Today? Well fine by me. The sooner this is solved the better. I would like to have a quiet day at home for once. What time?... Two? Ok, I'll be there. Bye." Tails hung up and rubbed his temples with a groan.

It was Shadow this time who asked, "Who was it?"

"That intern from the University of Neurological Studies, Mikysara."

"Doesn't she work for or whoever asked you to make that memory machine?" pointed out Knuckles

"It's Botner and yes she does. She called me to ask when I plan on sharing my notes and research with him, which I had no plans on doing at all. I cut him off from the project."

"But why? This is a big project that could help a lot of people." inquired Sonic.

"I know that. And that's why I cut him off. Remember after the trial and Mikysara came here? Well, later I got back in touch with and began to update him on everything. The whole time he kept asking when it would ready take to the AAMRS, Association for Applied Medical Research and Sciences, and how soon could I send him blueprints and write a report on how it works."

"That seems normal." Shadow said as he plated up breakfast.

"Yes but it was the way he was asking; so pushy, aggressive, and unrelenting. I got a little suspicious and looked into his background. Actually, I should have done that first thing but I was too excited at the time. What I saw wasn't encouraging. He's been to court five times as a defendant, the charges ranging from fraud to theft of intellectual property. So I cut him off. I just know if I keep feeding him information he's going steal this project. Then he'll get it patented, make it super expensive for hospitals and clinics to get the machine, the end result being it won't help as many people as it can. That's why at two I'm going to the University to tell once and for all that I won't be corroborating with him anymore."

Sonic whistled, "Five times in court!? Good call on checking him out, that would have been major trouble later."

"Ugh, if there's one thing I can't stand besides whining, its dishonesty. Don't bother being polite Tails, smack him down hard." scoffed Knuckles.

"Trust me I will. Now let's eat! I'm starved and those omelets smell heavenly!" replied Tails.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Greetings Fanfiction! I promised you two stories, and I have delivered! I've been thinking about doing the sequel to Lost Past, New Friends for a while. The story was popular and I got a few requests for a sequel. So, I tossed it around in the old noggin and came up with just the ticket! I hope it lives up to the legacy of the one before and you all enjoy it. So read, review, and enjoy! **


	2. A New Conflict

**Chapter 2**

Tails was shouldering his messenger bag as he prepared to leave the house. Inside was a notebook and a few concept sketches. He tucked his communicator into his shirt pocket, grabbed the keys to the Tornado, and entered the garage. "I'm leaving!" he called out.

Sonic poked his head into the doorway, "Do you have your communicator?"

"Yep, fully charged."

"Are you taking the Tornado? Just take my car and save yourself the ticket."

Tails rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to fly it! The fine for flying low in a civilan zone is something I don't want to pay again."

"No I meant how you got in trouble because of the wings protruding into other lanes of traffic."

"Well I fixed that. Watch." Tails jumped into the tornado and pressed a button. The plane's wings retracted into the body and shifted lower to the ground. "See, street legal."

Sonic laughed, "All that hassle for a short drive into the city?"

Tails laughed too and stroked the wheel of the Tornado, "Of course, this is my baby. Whats the point in having her if I can't take her to town and show her off?"

"Alright then. I'm expecting you home before 5 o'clock though. Don't make me come after you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll text when I get there and when I leave. See ya!" Tails started up his made-from-scratch plane, drove out of the garage, and onto the road leading to the city. He revved the engine and sped up, a cloud of dust billowing behind him. It wasn't as good as flying, but Tails loved to blast down the dirt road that connected his home to the huge city nearby. Sometimes Sonic would race him in his own car. All to soon a speed limit sign appeared and demanded a max speed of only 45 miles per hour. Reluctantly, Tails took his foot off the gas and applied the brake, barely coming within the speed limit as he entered the city.

* * *

After an extremely dull drive through the city, Tails reached the University of Neurological Studies. He parked and locked up the Tornado, texting Sonic as he entered the building. Tails jumped on an elevator and went up to the third floor. Upon reaching 's office he stood outside and said to himself, "Ok, be straight forward. Just lay it out nice and clear. If he can be reasoned with, fine. But if he trys to be shifty, he gets zilch." With his plan in mind, Tails knocked on the door.

Mikysara, the intern, promptly answered, "Oh, hello Mr. Prower. went to use the facilities, he'll be back shortly. Please come in and have a seat."

Tails entered and sat down in a chair near desk, "Thanks. Oh, and by the way, you can just call me Tails."

"My apologies Mr. Tails. Thank you for coming to see . He is quite eager to learn how much headway you've made on the machine he asked you to construct."

"Yes, well he might or might not find out. I want this machine, when I perfect it, to be available to the public, to the people who need it."

"That's very noble of you. The Doctor mostly speaks of what it will do for his carrear, how he'll be forever known as the pioneer of a new age. He says that the machine will change everything, that-" Here Mikysara was interrupted as the aforementioned came in though the door. He was a bear of tall stature, on the aging side but still possessing a strong intimidating air.

"Ah Miles! If I had known you had arrived, I would have come straight back instead of stopping to talk with a student." said as he came over to his desk.

Tails stood from his seat and shook the Doctor's hand, "Its alright and please, call me Tails."

He looked to Mikysara and snapped, "Don't just stand there, where are your manners? Go get Miles here some coffee! And bring one for me as well." The intern nodded rapidly and scurried off. turned back to Tails and replied, "Miles my boy, if there is one thing you should know about me is that I save casual behaviors for casual encounters."

"Well, I'll just add that to the other stuff I know about you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've checked your history Botner. I should have done that when you first approached me but I was too eager to think of it. Frankly, I didn't like what I saw. I'm here to negotiate and either you meet me halfway or I walk out of here and you get nothing."

Dr. Botner growled, "You can't do that! That's illegal, that's theft!"

Tails crossed his arms, "Doctor, just because a patron commissions an artist, doesn't make the finished work his. He can own it but he cannot claim it as _his _work. It was the artist who sketched and painted the work, not the patron. The artist doesn't have to give the patron his work if he doesn't want to."

"But the artist would have to return the commission fee."

"You didn't pay me to build your machine. We signed no legal document that binds me to turn over the machine or any research relating it to you."

"Is that what you want Miles? Money? Because I can give that to you."

With a shake of his head Tails answered, "Keep your money, I have no interest in that. What I am interested in is making sure this machine helps people, people in need. Not scientists looking for notoriety."

Botner laughed, "Is that all? Miles, my boy, that was the intention all along! Surely you knew that? Do you honestly believe I was trying to steal this project from you? If that's what I had wanted, I wouldn't have shared my neurological research with you!"

"You have a history of trying to steal work from others. It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"Ah, but if you're not careful it can. It will cost you colleagues, opportunities."

At that moment, Mikysara re-entered carrying a drink-holder with two coffee cups, "I brought you the usual Doctor; A latte with half-and-half and honey. I didn't know what you like but the espresso is very good today so I thought you might want to try that." She handed the coffee out and placed the cream and sugar in front of Tails so he could add it to his taste.

Tails began to pour in the little buckets of cream "Thanks Mikysara. Expresso is actually my favorite kind of coffee."

Dr. Botner took a sip of his latte, "Yes, my intern can be a little bit of a clueless klutz but she has her moments of brilliance. Lucky for her, she's not clueless in neuroscience. It makes up for all the little fumbles." He laughed at his own joke and took another sip as Mikysara laughed nervously as well.

"Ha Ha Ha… You're always quite witty Doctor… Ha…" she replied halfheartedly.

"Yes, yes. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Miles in private." Mikysara nodded and left at the dismissive wave of hand. "I never like to discuss business in front of uninvolved parties. So you said you have 'terms ' Miles?"

Tails sat up in his chair and cleared his throat, "Yes I do. I'm willing to keep you informed but I'm going to control just how informed you are. I'll tell you how my progress is but you're not going to see any blueprints or schematics."

"That's alright I suppose that's fine. Just as long as I know how things are coming."

"Ok. And when I finish the machine, we can take it to the Association for Applied Medical Research and Sciences but we push for getting this machine available to the public ASAP. That's my main goal and I'm determined to realize it."

"That's a fine goal, and I am here to help. Although I recommend that you let me present it to the Association. I have far more experience dealing with their sort and-"

Tails cut him off, "With all due respect Doctor, I am quite capable of handling 'their sort'. But, you're welcome to come along, if you so please." looked at Tails over the tops of his glasses, trying to read him, but he could get no sign of wavering from the young fox's face.

At last he sighed, "Very well Miles, you win, I agree to your terms. You drive a hard bargin my boy. A bargin that I will hold to and expect you to do the same."

"Of course. I'm a fox of my word Doctor." Tails reached into his bag and pulled out his notebook and the concept sketches, laying them out on the desk. "This notebook contains a timeline of my progress thus far. And these are some rough sketches of the machine itself."

"Oh my, I see you've been doing quite well lately, now that the whole trial business is over and the media is finally leaving you alone. Trauma is no good for the scientific mind, yes?" commented the Doctor as he flipped through the time line. "And these sketches, quite lovely but I see two different designs here. One with a large dome and the other with helmets. Modifications?"

"Yes. I changed it to be more portable, functional, and practical. "

"Mmm… Yes, yes. I notice here on the timeline it says that you did two trial runs? How did those turn out?"

"The first failed but the second was a success. I've been fine tuning the machine since then, working out bugs and such."

"Why did it fail and what made it work the second time?" Botner asked, burning with curiosity.

Tails leaned back in his chair with his coffee, "Sorry, but that's not data I want to disclose to you at this time."

"Alright, but may I speak to and/or examine your test subject?"

"Certainly not because he is not my test subject; he is very close to me! He is the first Mobian this machine has benefited, not a lab rat!" shouted Tails angrily, standing from his seat.

calmly took a long sip of his coffee before replying, "Tut, tut, Miles. Such behavior is unbecoming of a scientist of your caliber. So is growing so attached to your specimens."

Tails slammed his fist onto the desk, making everything on it jump into the air and come back down in complete disorder, "He is NOT a specimen! If that is the only way you can see him, then he will never set foot anywhere near you!"

"You forget your place Miles, as well as basic scientific method. Once a trial in an experiment is completed the data must be collected in order to draw a conclusion. That is all I wish do."

"Don't lecture me, I'm not one of your students! I have that data and I am drawing conclusions!"

The Doctor was getting visibly irritated as he tapped his finger on his desk and said with a hint of a growl in his voice, "I understand that Miles, but what I'm trying to make you realize that you're little lab does not have _all_ of the necessary equipment to collect _all_ of the data. For instance, I'm sure you haven't done before and after brain imaging because you lack the device to do so." Tails was silent as he looked away, glaring at the floor. "You can't just be giving me bare minimum information, you have to include me in this endeavor. Miles, you want this machine to help people but you need any and all data to make the machine flawless with little to no possibility of bugs."

"Ok. I will consider bringing him in. I have to talk to him first and see if its alright with him." He replied after a long pause.

"Good to hear. Your young Miles and very talented but you'll never get very far if you don't reel in your emotions. This is science, not soap operas my boy. Now is that all?" asked Botner as he stood.

"Yes, that is all. I'll contact you when I've made more progress and whether or not I'll bring him in. Have a nice day, ." answered Tails as he shook the Doctor's hand and packed up his stuff.

Botner walked him to the door, "You as well Miles. I'll be awaiting that call." Tails left the office and caught an elevator going back down to the ground floor. He went out into the parking lot and got into the Tornado.

* * *

Tails sighed and ran his fingers through his bangs, "I should have stayed an airplane mechanic. This scientist business is a pain in the neck." Tails started up his baby and began the hideous drive home through five o clock traffic. He was sitting at a light that seemed to be stuck on red when his communicator began to vibrate. "Hello?"

"Yo bro, what happened to my text?" came Sonic's voice, relived but a little annoyed.

Tails bopped himself in the forehead, "Aw, man! I'm sorry Sonic, I totally forgot. After dealing with Botner and this horrid traffic, it slipped my mind."

"Its ok, just try to remember next time. You ok though? You sound bushed."

"Nah, I just have bit of a headache is all. What's Shadow making for dinner?"

"Hang on I'll check for ya." Tails could hear Sonic's voice shout in the distance, "Yo Shad, what's on the menu? … Because Tails is on his way home and asked me. … Really now? Well I bet you it won't be as awesome as mine! … Yeah, yeah stick a cork in it! Hello?"

"Hi, so what's cooking?"

Sonic scoffed, "Shadow thinks he can beat my pizza. But we'll just see about that. I'm going to let you go so you can focus on the road ok little buddy?"

"Sounds good. People drive like idi-" At that moment someone in a big pickup truck forced their way into the lane in front of Tails, making him slam on the brakes and blast his horn, "Use your signal you moron! You're gonna freaking kill somebody!"

"Tails!? What happened, are you ok?!" shouted Sonic, panic entering his voice.

The fox growled, "Yeah, I'm fine. Flipping idiots are reminding why I prefer flying. I hate driving at this time of day."

"Try to get home in one piece bro. We'll see you when you get home."

"See ya." Tails hung up and focused on navigating the streets and out of the city. As soon as he was out of the city limits, Tails switched the Tornado back into plane form and took off. He flew high, level with the clouds and took deep breaths of the pure, chilled air. After circling and clearing his head, Tails did a loop and flew home.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew! Still working hard at my job and at FanFiction. This guy does seem pretty shifty but Tails and the guys can handle him! Please read, review, and enjoy! :)  
**


	3. Steady Progress

**Chapter 3**

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow were all sitting around the dinner table as Tails recounted his trip to the university. As Shadow finished a bite of pizza he asked, "So this guy wants to examine me?"

"Yes," replied Tails as he played with his water glass, "It would cover the basics such as brain scans, X-ray, MRI, CAT-scan, you know. The purpose is to see if use of the machine has altered anything in your brain at all. And if so, is it detrimental."

"I see…"

Sonic leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, "I say it's bogus. Shadow's fine. I don't like the sound of this creep and this whole thing reeks like Knuckles' cooking!"

The red echidna glared at him, "My cooking is NOT that bad! You still eat it! But anyways Tails, I say you go with your gut."

"I agree. If you think Botner can be trusted, I'm willing to trust him as well." said Shadow as he gave a thoughtful nod.

"Well if you're on board Shadow, I'll give it more serious thought." Replied Tails as he finally took a bite of his pizza. "Mmm this is great Shadow!"

"Better than Sonic's?"

"Hmm… not quite."

Sonic smiled triumphantly, "Ha-ha, I knew it! This is good but only mine is the best!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes as he got up to get another helping, "Actually, I like Shadow's pizza better."

"What!? How is Shad's better?!"

"Crisper crust, more cheese, and it's not drowned in sauce." listed Knuckles as he munched on another slice. "Mmm, perfect!"

Shadow grinned as he elbowed Sonic, "Looks like we're tied for best pizza Blue! What should we do for a tie breaker?"

Sonic thought for a minute before jumping up and dashing towards the living room, "Best two out of three on _Tour of Duty_! And I call first player!"

"Dammit Sonic you can't just call first player! Besides, I always get first player!" shouted Shadow as he dashed after him. The two pushed and shoved a little through the door way to the living room and after a slight scuffle for the remote and first person controller, they were blasting away at each other.

"For the love of Chaos…" mumbled Knuckles as he face-palmed, "You could swear they were kids sometimes."

Tails laughed as he poked Knuckles in the shoulder, "Oh, don't act like you haven't solved disputes with a couple rounds of _Tour of Duty_! Besides, it's so funny to hear them fight over first player."

"True. But Tails, about this Botner guy…" Knuckles' expression turned grave, "Are you sure it's such a good idea to let him examine Shadow? I mean I know I told you to go with your gut, but I can't help listening to mine either. Do you really trust him?"

"Not completely… but…" Tails glanced into the living room where Shadow and Sonic were playing video games. "If there's something wrong with Shadow, I'd rather know about it than not. But don't worry Knuckles; I'll keep a close eye on Botner. Now let's go see who's winning!"

* * *

About a week later, Shadow and Tails went to the University of Neurological Studies and met with Dr. Botner in his office who was delighted to see them. "Oh my goodness, Miles! Why didn't you mention your subject was Shadow the Hedgehog?! It is such an honor to meet a marvel of science like yourself!" exclaimed Dr. Botner as he heartily shook Shadow's hand with his massive paws.

"AHEM!" said Tails as he frowned, "Shadow is not my subject, he's my close friend."

"Right, of course. Silly me." Muttered Botner with a hint of annoyance before putting on a smile and asking pleasantly, "Would either of you care for some coffee? It's the only thing we have in abundance around here."

Shadow politely nodded and asked, "Could I just have a cup of black coffee please?"

"No problem. What about you Miles?" Tails shook his head as he dug out some notes from his bag. "Very well. Mikysara! Fetch some coffee if you're not too busy twiddling your thumbs over there! Black for Mr. Shadow and the usual for me." Mikysara, who was bent over some work, jumped up and dashed off. "Now then, before we move over to the laboratory let's do a basic exam. If you please?" Botner gestured to chair and Shadow took a seat.

"Don't you think you were kinda rude to that girl? It looked like she was busy." Commented Shadow as he sat down and followed a small pen light shined in his eyes.

"Oh pay her no mind, she's just an intern. Mikysara graduated from the University and she's studying under me to become a full-fledged scientist and teaching professor. Miles can you do me a favor and take notes? Pupil dilation and response is normal."

Tails opened one of his notebooks and scribbled down the information as he said, "Still, you could be a little nicer. She seems really sweet."

"That's only because you don't work with her every day. Reflexes normal." Replied Botner with a tone of cynicism as he hit Shadow's knee with a little rubber mallet and it kicked out immediately. They proceeded to do a basic auditory test and determined that all of Shadow's basic senses were normal when Mikysara came back with the coffee. The group than went down the hall to the university's laboratory and preformed several other tests on Shadow while taking careful notes of the results.

* * *

After two hours of being poked, prodded, and run through various scans and devices, Shadow sat down heavily in a chair and remarked, "So, are my brains going to run out of my ears or am I going to live?"

Botner laughed, it was very loud, rough booming noise that made everyone want to cringe slightly, and replied, "No, no Mr. Shadow from the looks of things, everything is normal. The machine has given you no detrimental side effects." He turned to Tails and shook his hand, "My congratulations Miles your machine works perfectly. We should begin compiling a full report for the Association for Applied Medical Research and Sciences and-"

"Hold on Doctor." interrupted Tails as he held up his hands in a time-out signal, "One successful trail doesn't mean the machine is perfect. I would like to test it a few more times and see if I can increase how much can be restored in one usage."

"Well how much can it restore in its current state?"

"Only one memory"

"One memory is a miracle in itself, more would be bordering on an act of Gaia! Really Miles, I think one memory at a time is-" began the doctor as he turned away while scribbling on a clipboard.

Tails jumped in front of him shouted, "It's not enough! With all due respect to your intellect , you have NO idea what sort of technology went into making the machine a reality! To reproduce it, especially on a large scale, would be extremely expensive so as a result, treatments would have to be expensive so hospitals and clinics can cover the cost."

Botner was clearly becoming irritated as he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "And that is a problem because?"

"It's a problem because patients being treated with the machine would get less for their money and would only afford to get some of their memories back and they would be forced to choose the ones more precious to them. How would you feel, Doctor, if you were forced to choose a few memories that you want to keep out of an entire lifetime of living?" There was a long silence as Tails glared up at the elderly bear, his expression firm. Shadow looked on, carefully examining both of their faces while Mikysara watched in shock as Tails stood up to Botner.

At long last, Dr. Botner sighed, "Very well Miles. A wise man once said, 'If it isn't broke, don't fix it' but if you feel the need to tinker with it more, who am I to stop you? After all, you're the inventor, not me. When can I expect results?"

"That depends." Responded Tails as he relaxed slightly, "I don't know how long the modifications will take. If you don't hassle me with your phone calls, I believe I could manage at least a slight increase in a month or two."

"A month or two!? That's ludicrous! How are we supposed to present this machine at that slow rate?" exclaimed Botner with frustration clear in his voice.

Shadow now stepped in as he placed himself in front of Tails, "Hey back off! I don't see you making the damn thing! When it's ready, its ready so just be patient, your Noble Prize isn't going anywhere."

At this Botner scoffed as if the thought had never crossed his mind, "Noble Prize? Miles and I already agreed to focus on making sure this machine gets to the public and not the notoriety that could come of it. And because of my interests of getting the device to the public that I want to move this project along."

"Sure you are. Are we done here?"

"Yes; we are." muttered Botner as he turned to back Tails with a small glare towards Shadow, "I'll be looking forward to your progress Miles. Good luck."

"Thank you Doctor, I'll be in touch." Said Tails as he gathered up his notes and him and Shadow left the office. On the way home, the kitsune remarked sarcastically, "That went well. I can't wait until this project is over and done with so I don't have to deal with him anymore…"

Shadow nodded with agreement, "Amen. He's a bit of a jerk; especially to that poor intern. If I was her, I'd find a new job."

"Yeah. Thanks for having my back in there by the way. It's not easy staring down someone three times your size."

"Don't mention it. He's lucky I didn't knock him on his ass."

"TIMBER!" shouted Tails playfully before bursting out laughing, "Oh, that would have been awesome to see!" The two laughed the whole rest of the way home as they made jokes about Dr. Botner and his mannerisms. Upon arriving home, Tails and Shadow recounted the day and Sonic and Knuckles immediately shared in their dislike of Dr. Botner. After hearing some words of warning and suggestions to be cautious, Tails went down into the lab to begin working.

* * *

He worked tirelessly over the next weeks doing more research, tinkering, switching out parts and rewiring various things. Finally, a month and a half later, Tails was ready for a second test. All four of them were gathered together in Tails' lab in the basement as the young fox prepared his machine for the test. As he fired it up he said to Sonic and Knuckles, "Ok, I'm almost ready. But, I'm pumping so much power into this thing I might trip the breaker. If that happens, I need one of you to reset it ASAP. I hooked up a back-up power source but it's just three car batteries. It'll do the trick if the breaker goes but not for long. I would use flux crystals, but they are waaay above my budget."

"Don't worry, we'll be ready." assured Sonic. "What'd you do to it that makes it use so much juice?"

"Well, I tripled how many memories get restored, so now it does three at a time, but that takes a lot of power."

Knuckles walked around the machine scratching his head, "Explain how this thing works again? Last time you said something about a disc?"

Tails laughed a little as he crawled underneath the device to double check the connections and such, "The analogy I used was that the information in your brain was data on a disc and the brain itself was a disc player. When we forget something, the data gets corrupted and the brain can't read that part of the disc anymore."

"So the machine takes the 'corrupted data' and fixes it?" finished Sonic.

"Sort of. There's no way to store a memory using technology; it's literally impossible. I've tried everything and read every scrap of research and theory I could find but the only thing that can store a memory is the brain. So, that's why I had to modify my design. Now, the machine takes the memory from Shadow and stores in me while it restores it. Than it transfers it back and overwrites the corrupted memory so he can remember it whenever he wants."

Shadow took his seat near the machine, "Does that have any side effects on you?"

"Not really. Because the machine is using MY brain to restore the memory, I see and experience it second-hand but other than that not really." Tails took his seat as well, "OK, let's gives this a try. I hope the capacitator doesn't blow. Those things are expensive. Ready Shadow?"

"Ready. Fire it up." replied the obsidian hedgehog with a nod. Sonic went over to the breaker and opened the case, ready to reset it, and gave a thumbs up.

Tails exhaled and threw the switch, "Here goes…"

* * *

The machine came to life with a slow rumble, the screen showing the message, 'Transferring Memory 1'. Shadow and Tails both flinched slightly as the damaged memory traveled from Shadow to Tails. The young fox caught bits and pieces of a dark room with technology and something white moving back and forth. The screen flashed 'Restoring Memory 1' and Tails gritted his teeth against the static sensation that zapped through his brain. Things were clearer now; Tails could identify more of the objects in the room and he noticed something he hadn't before. In the foreground there was a tray full of surgical implements and some of them were bloody. There was a sensation of pain. The sound of rustling cloth was now accompanied by the movement of the white thing as well as anxious muttering. There was a little bit of light accompanied by a creaking door and a high, sweet voice. This was followed by the white figure turning round and yelling something and the door slammed shut. The machine beeped as an orange light flashed the message, 'Rewriting Memory 1'. Shadow winced as the static now filled his mind the memory came rushing back.

The room was dark and the surface he was lying on was cold. Everything in his body hurt and he felt like it was hard to breathe. He slowly became aware of a steady BEEP BEEP BEEP sound in the background and focusing on that brought him further into consciousness. Shadow's eyes opened a little more and scanned the room. There were bloody surgical instruments on a tray to the right and in front of him, a tall man in a lab coat with a bushy gray moustache was pacing back and forth muttering. Shadow couldn't make it out but sounded like complicated, technical stuff. The room lit up slightly as a door creaked open and a blonde-haired blue eyed girl stuck her head in, "Grandfather? Do you want to play with me?"

"Maria! I've told you a thousand times not to come in here when I'm working! Go; we can play when I'm finished!" scolded the man. The girl looked sad as she left, the door slamming shut behind her.

Shadow gasped slightly as the memory ended and the machine began transferring and restoring the second memory. The second memory was brief; it consisted of Shadow being hooked up to various machines and the same tall man examining him and taking notes.

The third memory was the longest of the three. Shadow was standing next to the tall man in the same room the other two memories took place in. The door opened and the same blonde girl, Maria, walked in slowly. "Maria," said the man, "This is Shadow. He is the Ultimate Lifeform."

She looked him up and down before asking, "Is this what you've been working on for so long Grandfather?"

"Yes my dear. Shadow is going to change the world."

"For good right?"

"Of course. That's why I created him; to make the world a better place for you and for everyone else." The tall man looked down at Shadow and nudged him slightly, "Well don't just stand there like a statue, say hello to my granddaughter."

Shadow looked up at him and back at Maria who was staring in wonder at him before saying, "Hello." It was emotionless and bland but never the less he couldn't help but gasp at the sound of his own voice.

Maria giggled at his surprise, "I'm Maria. It's nice to meet you. You seem like a really nice person Shadow." He didn't know how to respond to this so Shadow just stood there looking at his shoes. Maria giggled again, "That was a compliment silly. You're supposed to say thank you."

"Oh… Thank you?" replied Shadow hesitantly. His own voice still sounded so foreign and strange.

His bewilderment caused Maria to giggle even more and the tall man chuckled a little himself as he said, "Don't worry Shadow; I'm sure Maria would be happy to show you the ins and outs of common conversation. You'll get the hang of it."

"I would love to!" exclaimed Maria as she gave Shadow a hug, "We're going to be best friends, I just know it!"

* * *

Tails' machine beeped rapidly as a green light blinked and the screen read 'All Memories Successfully Rewritten'. Shadow and Tails took their helmets off as Knuckles and Sonic came back over from the breaker.

Tails rubbed his temples and groaned, "Ugh… that was a little more taxing than I thought. Did we trip the breaker?"

Sonic shook his head, "Nope. The lights flickered a little but other than that everything was fine. Are you guys ok?"

"I'm alright. I think I just need a minute to collect myself. How do you feel Shadow? Did all three memories come back?"

"Yes. All three of them are crystal clear. I think they're some of my first memories after my creation." Replied Shadow as he slowly stood.

"Your first memories huh? That's crazy. Not even normal people who don't have amnesia can remember stuff like that." pointed out Knuckles as they began to head back upstairs. "So how does that work?"

"Well you have to remember, I was created. I wasn't born like a normal person so I was never an infant, child or anything like that."

Tails nodded, scribbling in a notebook as he replied, "Shadow's right. How he is now is exactly how he was when he first gained consciousness as a living being. He came into the world fully developed and fully functioning so he would have viable memory of his first moments. This test does bring something to my attention though."

"And what's that?" asked Sonic.

"There's no way to control which memories are restored. It just picks them at random. It could be useful to put in some sort of control mechanism that could allow you to select a time period or a certain span of time… If I connect a fixed feed to the cerebral… than an extra joint adjuster…" Tails had flipped to a new page in his book and was now sketching out what new part he would have to create for the machine.

Knuckles rolled his eyes and shook his head, "There he goes off into TechGeek Land. Does anybody understand what the heck he's saying?"

"I sure as heck don't. But, Tails, you should watch your going." said Sonic as he stopped Tails from running into the wall.

"Oh oops. Thanks Sonic. Hey, I'm going to look into this idea of mine. I'll see you guys in a bit." Replied Tails as he turned around and went back down in the lab still scribbling.

Shadow watched him go and sighed, "He works so hard on that thing and the last thing he's thinking about is the fame that'll come with it. All he's concerned with is helping people."

"Yeah, he's a good kid." agreed Sonic, "I'm pretty proud to call him my bro."

"What are we, chopped liver?" asked Knuckles sarcastically as he gave Sonic a playful push.

Sonic pushed him back, "You said it, not me!" Shadow laughed as the two wrestled a little in the hallway but his thoughts quickly turned back to Tails and the machine.

'_Tails really is incredible though. To think, he's so young and yet he's accomplishing things that others could only dream of doing! That Botner guy seemed pretty keen to know anything and everything but Tails was pretty firm with him. It's only a matter of time before he starts pestering Tails again or starts snooping around for answers…_' thought Shadow as he looked at the door of Tails lab. He could see the genius fox at his desk looking over various reference books and research notes, searching for the answers he was looking for and connecting the dots. '_Chaos as my witness there's no way Botner is going to take advantage of all Tails' hard work for his own greedy uses…_'

**Author's Note: Ello! Heres chapter 3! You know I really am excited to write this story because it really does focus more on the machine and restoring Shadow's memory. All of that kinda got put on the back burner in the last story so its good that we bring the focus back around right? Please read, review, and most all enjoy. :)  
**


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